US Museum Sued For Alleged Discrimination Against Breastfeeding Mom

A woman is filing a lawsuit against the Walker Art Centre in Minnesota, alleging gender discrimination after being informed by the museum staff that she couldn't breastfeed her newborn in the museum's galleries. Megan Mzenga, a Minneapolis resident and a mother of an eight-month-old newborn and a three-year-old kid, filed a lawsuit against the arts centre earlier this month in Minnesota district court.

The Incident at Walker Art Museum

Mzenga chose to visit the museum on March 2, which was timed with the museum's Family Day programme, a popular event in the city which encourages families to indulge in exhibitions, activities, and interactive workshops. According to the Walker Art Center's stated policy, parents have the right to nurse their children wherever they are most comfortable on the premises. However, Mzenga found herself at odds with this policy when a male staff member allegedly approached her sternly, informing her that breastfeeding was not permitted on a gallery sofa and indicating an intention to escort her out of the area. 

Legal Framework in Minnesota

After this humiliating encounter at the museum, Mzenga took a decision to fight against the discrimination  legally, claiming that the museum's staff failed to follow the policies that they claim are 'family friendly', thereby violating her rights.  The lawsuit was filed in a Minnesota district court in an attempt to challenge the museum's hypocrisy and brings forward Mzenga's ordeal as a form of discrimination and a blatant indication that she, as a breastfeeding mother, was unwelcome within the institution's premises. 

After receiving the lawsuit  from Mzenga's team, the museum refrains from commenting on the specifics of the pending litigation, however the museum has reformed its stance, claiming that the visitors are welcome to breastfeed wherever they feel comfortable within the premises, including the galleries. Furthermore, the museum provides a designated family-friendly room on the ninth floor equipped with amenities for nursing mothers.

According to Minnesota law, nursing mothers have the right to breastfeed in any public or private location where they are otherwise permitted to be, regardless of whether the act is concealed or uncovered to help in accommodating breastfeeding mothers in various settings, including cultural institutions such as the Walker Art Center.